The perfect agritourism in Uruguay

«Work is already hard by itself - if you don’t like it, it becomes unbearable». Luigi Olivieri knows this and has always tried to work while having fun. He’s managed so well that when he found his promised land, the buen retiro in which he should have spent the years of his well-deserved retirement, it took him just a short time to create a new and fun job. Together with him there’s his wife, Eva, born in Bratislava (Slovakia) but adopted by Italy. By Brescia, in fact: she’s a beautiful lady who would find it unbearable to spend long and boring days doing nothing.

Luigi used to breed and sell livestock all over the world, after a long experience in a dairy factory. When he arrived in Uruguay, specifically in the countryside around Sarando Grande de Portamento de Florida (less than 200 km North of Montevideo), he bought the estancia called Los Gurises, literally, “the kids”, because this place charmed him. Here you can find the best meat in the world: cattle is bred in the wild, it is very tender and cholesterol free. The milk is the best in the world, with exceptional pastures offered by the endless pampa. And the game is the most beautiful and natural in the world.

After all, Luigi is a hunter, passionate about hunting dogs, so it didn’t take him long to put all these excellent things together and create a fairy-tale reality. He started his project by making cheese (Asiago, Taleggio, even Parmigiano types), for personal use. With extraordinary results. Then he went on, together with Eva, planting an orchard that includes the fruit of paradise. Then came the kitchen garden, with all kinds of fresh vegetables. The couple, however, could not keep all this for themselves. Tireless workers with innate sales skills, little by little they created the perfect agritourism where (almost) everything is produced in the huge farm and transformed into refined dishes by Eva and loyal Laura.

The estancia was refurbished and enlarged, and can host around ten guests (and their dogs, if they wish), in self-catered rooms equipped with all conveniences. In the suites there’s an abundance of precious wood used for ceilings and floors: hunters who are looking forward to vent their passion can forget to lose wait. Here they will find lots of hunting possibilities, trained dogs and discreet guides. But then they won’t be able to say no to the food.

There are 12 or 13 fruit jams, plus tarts and various cakes for breakfast - to begin with. And you never know where this will lead, what with very rich breakfasts and lunches that are always different. Just like Paganini, in fact, Eva never repeats herself, but always makes the incredible local raw materials stand out. Her creations, on top of being delicious, are also beautiful. To us it was enough to be touched by a small stock made with a truly wild hen, enduring the emotion thanks to the Pappardelle with duck ragout, or hare sauce, the duck liver pate or the partridge breast. The Escabace style partridge. The hare fillet on a bed of caramelised citrus fruits, or a very delicate wild boar prosciutto, a beef stew, a veal asado, a turtle-dove schidionata…

After chasing partridges for kilometres (they’re called chicas, locally, like girls) and re-integrating all the calories burnt (plus interests), in the end you will be more tonic without leaving even 100 grams in Uruguay. Unless you don’t want to pay homage to Eva, Luigi and Laura’s work, which would be unforgivable.